Mark Wahlberg tops Forbes’ 2017 Highest-Paid Actors list

46-year-old Mark Wahlberg was named the world’s highest paid actor on Tuesday, earning an estimated $68 million before taxes over the past 12 months according to the list compiled by Forbes.

The actor earned his spot at the top of the list majorly due to earnings from “Transformers: The Last Knight” and comedy sequel “Daddy’s Home 2,” due out in November.

“The former may have scored a miserable 15 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the lowest gross of the franchise to date, but Wahlberg need not worry — fixed compensation means he benefits even when movies don’t do well,” said Forbes.

Last year’s top-ranked star Dwayne Johnson “The Rock”, is in second place with $65 million, after starring in the big screen reboot of lifeguard action-comedy “Baywatch” and starring in HBO comedy “Ballers.”

The former wrestler earned $50 million more than his 2016 total due to his appearance in the upcoming “Jumanji” set for release in December.

Vin Diesel, who co-stars with Johnson in Fast and Furious, came in third on men’s list with $54.5 million, just ahead of comedy actor Adam Sandler, who made $50.5 million, largely because of a deal with Netflix that allows him to produce his own movies.

Hong Kong action star Jackie Chan who is still hugely popular in China came in fifth with $49.5 million over the last 12 months.

This year, newcomers comprise one fifth of the list, including Ryan Reynolds, Ryan Gosling, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo. Like Hemsworth, Renner and Ruffalo also have their paychecks from the Avengers to thank largely for their totals.

The top ten men continue to out-earn their female counterparts by a huge margin of $488.5 million compared with just $172.5 million, a disparity Forbes attributed in part to the preponderance of superhero movies and action blockbusters that offer few starring roles for women.

Oscar-winning Emma Stone, 28, topped the list of actresses published last week with a relatively modest $26 million.